Absorbent personal care and/or cleansing product for cosmetic and/or dermatological applications comprising at least one absorbent sheet

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an absorbent personal care and/or cleansing product for cosmetic and/or dermatological applications comprising at least one non-woven absorbent sheet comprising 10 to 100 wt. % lyocell fibers and 0 to 90 wt. % of at least one other natural, man-made natural and/or synthetic fiber, wherein the lyocell fiber has a fiber titer in the range from 0.5 to 3.5 dtex, wherein the absorbent sheet has a basis weight in the range from 20 to 500 g/m 2 , and a tensile strength in the range from 5 to 1000 N/5 cm in machine direction and in cross direction. Further, the present invention relates to the use of said absorbent product as puffs, pads, wipes, tissues, towels, toweletts, sponges, brushes, cotton balls, gloves, mitts, cotton tip swabs or as a part thereof in cosmetic and/or dermatological applications, in particular as a basis onto which a cosmetic composition and/or dermatological cleansing and/or skin care composition, in particular in the form of a lotion, is being placed and/or into which said composition is being impregnated.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention refers to an absorbent personal care and/orcleansing product for cosmetic and/or dermatological applications aswell as to the use of this absorbent product as a basis, e.g. a pad,wipe, towel, towelette, or tissue onto which a cosmetic and/ordermatological cleansing and/or skin care composition can be placed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Absorbent sheet products have become very popular for personal careapplications for both adults and babies. Examples include face or bodycleansing wipes, wipes for skin treatment, and skin conditioning wipes.These wipes or pads are nowadays commonly used to apply skin carecompositions or make-up to the skin as well as for the removal of, forexample, feces, urine or make-up.

In order to achieve such products which are well accepted by theconsumer high standards, for example, in terms of softness, absorptionand mechanical strength have to be met. Especially when used for make-upremoval in rather sensitive areas like the area around the eyes thecustomer is very critical in the choice of products. It is, for example,immediately noticed if a pad or wipe lacks softness. Also, it isconsidered to be disadvantageous if an absorbent substrate tends to frayor fuzz as is for example the case with dabbers. Nevertheless, pieces ofnon-woven or cotton wool are still frequently used as a basis formake-up removal lotions.

In skin caring or cleansing operations active ingredients are usuallynot directly applied to the skin but with the use of pads or wipes toinsure a more regular distribution. Also, the fingers are kept free ofany oily lotions. Skin cleansing operations usually require pads andwipes which regularly take up soilage or make-up. In all cases the padmaterial should not irritate the skin even when repeatedly used. Inaddition, the absorbent capacity should meet high standards. In therecent years major efforts have been spent to improve the softness andabsorbency characteristics of wipe and pad materials.

Initially, wet wipe products were made of traditional non-wovenmaterials based on paper making technology (pulp based products). Theseproducts although accepted suffer in the softness of the fabricmaterial. The introduction of the spunlacing non-woven technology offersproducts that compared to traditional paper based products are superiorin terms of softness and strength. This is mainly due to the use of longsoft fibers such as the rayon and PET-PP or mixtures of these fibers inthe spunlacing process and also to the fact that during the spunlacingprocess no binder is added to the fabric.

However, even with these products, especially having higher basisweights, e.g. of about 80 g/m² or more, it is difficult to maintain theoriginal structure of the wipe when impregnated with, for example,soilage or lotions. Ordinary pads usually collapse upon impregnationwith these compounds thereby losing their absorbency, strength andsoftness characteristics.

Hence there is still a need for absorbent pads or wipes for cosmeticand/or dermatological applications. As becomes apparent in the followingthere have been several attempts to remedy the deficiencies of existingcosmetic or dermatological wipes and pads.

According to JP 2003095868 A a make-up wipe when comprising a non-wovenfabric which contains ultra-fine fibers having a single fiber finenessof less than 0.5 dtex should be capable of efficiently removing acosmetic without irritating the skin. The ultra-fine fibers have tooccupy around 20% of the surface area of the non-woven fabric.

According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,571 the softness of non-woven webs orfabrics can be improved by a mechanical post-treatment, for example, byincrementally stretching a non-woven web. This can be achieved byemploying opposed pressure applicators having three-dimensional surfaceswhich at least to a certain degree are complementary to one another, orby permanently stretching an inelastic base non-woven in thecross-machine direction. However, these non-woven fabrics still exhibita relatively low abrasion resistance and tend to fuzz duringapplication. This disadvantage can according to WO 02/31245 be overcomewith a non-woven web having a consolidation area of at least 30% whichis obtained by thermal bonding. With this modification the softness ofthe web should not be affected.

In addition, bond patterns have been utilized to improve strengthabrasion resistance in non-woven fabrics while maintaining the softnessas for example disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,742.

Wipes having an improved softness which are less harsh on the skincompared to woven cloth or paper based pads and which are stronger thancotton based non-woven wipes shall according to EP 750 062 A1 beprovided by non-woven webs having a basis weight of from 20 to 130 g/m².These wipes have to exhibit a specific coefficient of friction and haveto be produced by hydroentangling or needlepunching.

In WO 03/022116 a cosmetic sheet product for skin applications isdisclosed which has high absorbent capacity for active agents, goodreleasability of absorbed active agents and a good combination ofsoftness and strengths. This soft non-woven fibrous cosmetic wipematerial has to contain a non-woven fibrous layer having a z-directionloft from the backing of at least 0,5 mm where the non-woven fibrouslayer material is bonded to a backing layer. This z-direction loft isformed by arcuate portions between areas of bonding of the non-wovenlayer to the backing which arcuate portions comprise from 20 to 99% ofthe wipes cross-sectional wiping area. Such a wipe can be formed from abroad range of non-woven fabrics and fibers and is not any longerlimited to the use of conjugate fibers having at least two crimps perinch or to non-wovens that are bonded at all fiber cross-over points asrequired by U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,749. According to this latter documentto obtain a pad for personal or industrial use which exhibits goodcompression resilience, high physical strength and abrasion resistancerather complex and specific requirements have to be met.

According to U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,582 also meltblown non-woven wipes aresuitable for personal care uses.

EP 750 062 A1 requires the basis weight of non-woven webs to be from 20to 130 g/m² and to be produced by hydroentangling or needlepunching inorder to be useful as skin cleansing wipes.

From U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,973 a non-woven needlepunch fabric can bederived consisting of 60 to 90 wt.-% lyocell fiber having a length of2.54 to 15.32 cm, 10 to 40 wt.-% polyester fiber having a length of 2.54to 15.32 cm and 0 to 30 wt.-% of other textile fibers, wherein thelyocell fibers have a denier in the range of 0.75 to 6 prior tofibrillation and wherein the fabric has been formed by subjecting thefibers to carding, cross-lapping and needlepunching. Particularlypreferred fibers comprise crimped lyocell and polyester fibers. However,the fabrics according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,973 are still rather harshand tight and are lacking a sufficient degree of softness paired with arequired degree of bulkiness. Fabrics as disclosed in UW 5,928,973 aretherefore mainly used in automotive or battery applications, as forexample described in WO 96/13071.

Also for floor cleaning wipes non-woven substrates are frequently used.In WO 03/050230 such a floor cleaning wipe is described thewater-insoluble substrate of which has been impregnated with a liquidcomposition which is not an emulsion. The water-insoluble substrateconsists of two layers wherein the first layer is a polyester non-wovenfabric and the second layer is made from a needlepunched cellulosenon-woven fabric.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,569,828 B1 discloses a cleaning wipe for dish washingapplications wherein the water insoluble substrate consists of a toplayer of coarse fibers, for example, made from polypropylene fibers, anabsorbent center layer made from cellulose fibers and a bottom layer offine fibers, for example, made of polyester fibers. Only the centerabsorbent layer is impregnated with a cleansing composition which alsocomprises a water-soluble cellulosic polymer besides a surfactant, asolubilizing agent and a preservative.

The cosmetic wipe described in WO 02/072052 is impregnated with anoil-in-water emulsion which can also be a PIT emulsion containing aC₁₂₋₃₀ carboxylic acid mono- or diglyceride. The sheet material ispreferably made from non-wovens such as wood pulp, polyolefin, polyesteror polyamide fibers. Preferably, a mixture of cellulose pulp and abinding material is employed. This non-woven sheet material can be madeby a variety of processes such as airlaying, wetlaying or carding. Thewipes according to WO 02/072052 should be soft and also provide a softerfeel after the application of the wipe without the need to have to addspecific fabric softeners to either the finished product or the fibersused as raw materials.

DE 199 17 275 B4 is about a non-woven cleansing wipe made frommicrostaple fibers and absorbent secondary staple fibers wherein themicrostaple fibers are multi-component split fibers from at least twodifferent polymers and wherein the secondary staple fibers are made fromviscose lyocell fibers according to the chemical fiber spinning process.In case such a cleansing wipe consists of more than one non-woven layerthese layers can be joined by entanglement, lamination orneedlepunching. These cleansing wipes exhibit a high abrasion resistanceas well as a high absorbent capacity for soilage and also a highstrength.

The problem related to conventional non-woven wipe materials still isthat they are not well suited to maintain their structure and docollapse when impregnated with lotions or wetted. In addition, it wouldbe desirable to have access to a non-woven which does not loose its softtouch sensation when rubbed on the skin without the need to use largeamounts of material.

The object of the present invention has been to provide an absorbentproduct, e.g. a pad, suitable for cosmetic applications even with rathersensitive areas such as the skin around the eye which is soft and bulky,does not irritate the skin, takes up make-up efficiently and is suitedto apply cosmetic and dermatologic lotions to the skin without the riskthat the fiber will ravel out, and which maintains its originalstructure when impregnated with said lotions or when being wetted orhaving taken up removed make-up.

A further object of the present invention has been to provide anabsorbent product which is superior in retaining fluids, such ascosmetic and dermatological lotions, and which in particular holds aliquid such as the aforementioned lotion after having been disposed ontoor impregnated into the absorbent product whereby this liquid isprevented from a downward movement due to gravity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is concerned with an absorbent personal careand/or cleansing product for cosmetic and/or dermatological applicationscomprising at least one non-woven absorbent sheet comprising 10 to 100wt. % lyocell fibers and 0 to 90 wt. % of at least one other natural,man-made natural and/or synthetic fiber, wherein the lyocell fiber has afiber titer in the range from 0.5 to 3.5 dtex, wherein the absorbentsheet has a basis weight in the range from 20 to 500 g/m², and a tensilestrength in the range from 5 to 1000 N/5 cm in machine direction and incross direction.

Preferably, the absorbent sheet comprises 30 to 90 wt. %, in particular40 to 80 wt. %, lyocell fibers and 10 to 70 wt. %, in particular 20 to60 wt.-%, other natural, man-made natural and/or synthetic fibers, inparticular synthetic fibers.

In another preferred embodiment the absorbent sheet comprises 10 to 50wt. %, in particular 10 to 40 wt. %, lyocell fibers, 10 to 40 wt. %natural fibers, preferably fibers made from cotton, and 10 to 80 wt. %,in particular 20 to 80 wt. %, man-made natural and/or synthetic fibers.

According to another aspect of the present invention an absorbentproduct is provided wherein at least one section of the natural,man-made natural and/or synthetic fiber comprises at least one, inparticular permanent, hydrophilic surface.

Also, it is preferred that the absorbent sheet comprises 10 to 90 wt. %,in particular 30 to 70 wt. %, natural, 10 to 90 wt. %, in particular 20to 60 wt. %, man-made natural and/or synthetic fibers which comprise atleast a section having at least one, in particular permanent,hydrophilic surface, and 0 to 50 wt. %, in particular 10 to 30 wt. %,polyester fibers.

In certain embodiments of this invention the absorbent sheet has beenmade by use of carding being the web forming technique andneedlepunching being the web bonding technique and wherein the cardedfibers have been cross-lapped prior to needlepunching.

It is particularly preferred that the synthetic fiber comprises apolyester fiber, in particular a PET fiber.

In still further specific embodiments at least a portion of the fibersof the absorbent sheet exhibit a fiber titer of below 2.5 dtex,preferably below 2.0 dtex and more preferably equal or below 1.3 dtex.

According to another preferred embodiment of this invention theabsorbent sheet has a thickness in the range from 0.4 to 5 mm,preferably from 1.5 to 3 mm and more preferably from 1.8 to 2.8 mm.

In a particular preferred embodiment the absorbent sheet comprises 50 to65 wt. % lyocell fibers and 35 to 50 wt. % polyester fibers both havinga fiber titer of 1.7 dtex, preferably 1.4 dtex, or lower.

According to another preferred provision of the present invention thebasis weight of the absorbent sheet is in the range from 30 to 400 g/m²,preferably in the range from 50 to 250 g/m², and more preferably in therange from 150 to 200 g/m².

In a further aspect the tensile strength of the absorbent sheet is inthe range from 20 to 800 N/5 cm, preferably from 80 to 400 N/5 cm, andmore preferably from 100 to 250 N/5 cm, in machine direction as well asin cross direction.

According to another embodiment the elongation of the absorbent sheet isin the range from 20 to 160%, preferably in the range from 70 to 120%,and more preferably in the range from 80 to 100%.

A further development provides for the bending torque of the absorbentproduct, in particular of the absorbent sheet, to be equal or below0.20, preferably 0.17, and more preferably equal or below 0.15 g×cm,according to the Kawabata test, in particular both in machine directionand in cross direction.

It is particularly preferred that at least one surface of at least oneabsorbent sheet comprises at least one three-dimensional surfacepattern, in particular at least one embossment.

A three-dimensional surface pattern of the absorbent product can forexample be obtained by the needle punching technique. Due to a variationin, for example, needle density per area, needling depths and intensityand/or needle size and/or shape a pattern of raised and lowerd regionscan be obtained. Furthermore, such a structuring or patterning of thesurface of the absorbent product can also be obtained by use of calendarroles or other known conventional embossment techniques.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the absorbent sheethas a density of below 0.09 g/cm³.

Furthermore, the absorbent product can take the form of a cosmeticand/or dermatological pad, towel, towelette, tissue or wipe or a partthereof.

In another preferred embodiment the absorbent product according to thepresent invention further comprises a cosmetic, dermatological,cleansing and/or skin care composition.

According to another aspect an absorbent product assembly has been foundwhich comprises two, three or more absorbent products according to thepresent invention which are at least partially directly or indirectlysuperimposed onto each other, in particular arranged in at least onestack or on a role.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Whenever used in this description and in the claims, any percentage isweight by weight (w/w) unless stated otherwise.

The present invention is concerned with an absorbent personal careand/or cleansing product for cosmetic and/or dermatological applicationswhich comprises at least one non-woven absorbent sheet as specifiedherein. The non-woven absorbent sheet comprises about 10 to about 100wt.-%, preferably about 30 to about 90 wt.-%, and more preferably about40 to about 80 wt.-% lyocell fibers and about 0 to 90 wt.-%, preferablyabout 10 to about 70 wt.-%, and more preferably about 20 to 60 wt.-%, ofat least one other natural, man-made natural and/or synthetic fiber.

Particularly favorable results can, for example, be obtained when thenon-woven absorbent sheet comprises about 50 wt. % lyocell fibers andabout 50 wt. % polyester fibers, in particular PET fibers, especially interms of softness, strength and bending characteristics.

Lyocell is the name for a generic fiber approved by the Federal TradeCommission in 1996. Lyocell can be characterized as a so called man-madefiber. It is made from wood pulp—and thus has a cellulosic basis—byextrusion of a solution of cellulose in an aqueous tertiary amineN-oxide, for example N-methylmorpholine N-oxide, through a suitable dieinto an aqueous coagulating bath to produce an assembly of filaments(“solvent spinning”). These filaments are washed with water to removethe solvent and are subsequently dried. According to, for example, U.S.Pat. No. 5,094,690 cellulose is suspended in an aqueous solution of thetertiary amine oxide and is then heated to temperatures between 90 to120° C. with stirring.

Lyocell is more similar to cotton than it is to rayon in many ways.However, like other cellulosic fibers, e.g. viscose, it is breathable,absorbent, and generally comfortable to wear. Lyocell has a high wetstrength.

Lyocell fibers can, for example, be purchased from Acordis CellulosicFibers under the trade name Tencel or from Lenzing Fibers under thetrade name Lenzing lyocell.

In general, natural materials useful in the present invention encompasssilk, keratine and cellulosic fibers. Suitable natural fibers which canbe used in combination with lyocell fibers can for example be selectedfrom the group consisting of cotton, wool, silk, linen, sisal, hemp,ramie, flax and jute and mixtures thereof.

Suitable man-made natural fibers can, for example, be selected from thegroup consisting of regenerated cellulose, in particular viscose, cuproand/or modal, polylactide acid, and alginate, and mixtures thereof.Particularly preferred is regenerated cellulose like viscose.

Non-limiting examples of synthetic fiber materials useful in the presentinvention include those selected from the group consisting of acetatefibers, aramide fibers, polyamide fibers, e.g. nylons, polyester fibers,e.g. polyethylene terephthalate fibers (PET), polyolefin fibers, e.g.polypropylene and polyethylene fibers, polyvinyl alcohol fibers,polyurethane fibers or foams, and mixtures thereof. Further suitablesynthetic fibers include bi- or tricomponent fibers such as PE/PET- orPP/PE fibers. These fibers can for example be so-called core-sheath-,side-by-side- or island-in-the-sea type fibers.

Preferred embodiments of the absorbent product according to theinvention comprise apart from lyocell fibers also fibers at least asection of which exhibits an, in particular permanent, hydrophilicsurface. Such an, in particular permanent, hydrophilic surface can forexample be obtained by coating natural, natural man-made or syntheticfibers as described above, e.g. polyamide fibers, e.g. nylons, polyesterfibers, e.g. polyethylene terephthalate fibers (PET), polyolefin fibers,e.g. polypropylene and polyethylene fibers, polyvinyl alcohol fibers,bi- or tricomponent fibers such as PE/PET- or PP/PE fibers, viscosefibers, cotton fibers, wool fibers, silk fibers, linen fibers, sisalfibers, hemp fibers, ramie fibers, flax fibers and jute fibers andmixtures thereof, with an, in particular permanent, hydrophilic finish.

In particular a permanent hydrophilic finish can for example be obtainedaccording to WO 96/33303 by applying a first spin finish comprising atleast one hydrophilic lubricant which contains polydiorganosiloxane towhich after stretching a second spin finish comprising at least onecationic antistatic agent which also comprises polydiorganosiloxane isapplied. Also, following the teaching of WO 97/00351 a fiber having apermanent hydrophilic surface finish can be obtained by use of anaqueous dispersion which comprises a hydrophilic copolyester havingrepeating segments of a polyoxyethylene diester and a polyalkylenediester and a polypropylene oxide polymer capped on one or both endswith an alkyl or ester group wherein said polymer has more than fourpropylene oxide units and an average molecular weight of at least about300. In addition, a composition for a permanent hydrophilic finish isdisclosed which comprises a mixture of an organic solvent, a hydrophiliccopolyester having repeating segments of a polyoxyethylene diester and apolyalkylene diester, and a polypropylene oxide polymer capped on one orboth ends with an alkyl or ester group, wherein said polymer has morethan four propylene oxide units and an average molecular weight of atleast about 300. Furthermore, WO 97/00351 discloses a dispersioncomprising a hydrophilic copolyester having repeating segments of apolyoxyethylene diester and a polyalkylene diester, and a polypropyleneglycol having an average molecular weight of more than 1100. In additionWO 97/00351 discloses a mixture of an organic solvent, a hydrophiliccopolyester having repeating segments of a polyoxyethylene diester and apolyalkylene diester, and a polypropylene glycol having an averagemolecular weight of more than 1100.

In addition or alternatively synthetic fiber materials are preferredwherein, after their manufacture, hydrophilic compounds beingdistributed within the fiber material migrate to the surface of thesefibers to form an, in particular permanent, hydrophilic fiber finish.For example, polyester fibers, in particular PET fibers, polypropylenefibers and bicomponent fibers as described above are particularlypreferred as the basis or core material for such, in particularpermanent, hydrophilic surfaces.

According to WO 98/42898 a permanent hydrophilic fiber surface can beobtained by processing, e.g. extruding, calendaring or injectionmolding, a mixture comprising a polyolefin, a migratable amphiphile suchas compounds having polar residues, e.g. carboxyl, hydroxyl, amino,oxazolin, imidazolin, epoxide, isocyanate, ester, ether, amide, alkanolamine and alkanol amide groups, and a transition metal compound such asselected from the group consisting of lead, nickel, zirconium, chromium,titanium and tin salts. Also, from U.S. Pat. No. 6,699,922 B2 non-wovenfabrics having a permanent hydrophilic surface can be obtained fromsynthetic fibers comprised of a polymer containing an effective amountof a di-C₁₀₋₁₂ fatty acid ester of polyethylene glycol.

Suitable polyester fibers having a permanent hydrophilic finish are, forexample, commercially available under the trade name Hydrofix® availablefrom DuPont. Suitable polypropylene fibers having a permanenthydrophilic finish are, for example, commercially available under thetrade name Hyentangle WA available from Fiber Visions.

In particular, essentially the entire surface of these surface treatednatural, natural man-made and synthetic fibers is provided with an, inparticular permanent, hydrophilic finish.

The aforementioned fibers having at least on a section an, in particularpermanent, hydrophilic surface can either be blended with lyocell fibersalone or can be blended with lyocell fibers and any of theaforementioned natural, natural man-made or synthetic fibers or anycombination thereof to form an absorbent sheet according to the presentinvention. These absorbent products which comprise fibers which exhibitan, in particular permanent, hydrophilic surface are particularly suitedto prevent any liquids disposed onto or impregnated into the absorbentproduct from migrating downwards through the absorbent product due togravity. Especially those absorbent products according to the inventionwhich besides lyocell fibers also comprise fibers which exhibit apermanent hydrophilic surface are preferred. Such a fiber having apermanent hydrophilic surface usually retains its hydrophilic charactereven upon several exposures to moisture or water washes. For example,the permanent character of a hydrophilic surface or coating can bedeterment according to EDANA standard no. ERT 150.2-93. Also, inmodified EDANA method can be employed, as for example described in WO96/33303. The modification compared to the standard method recites inthe fact that the strike-through measurement is performed three times onprecisely the same spot on the absorbent product. The absorbent productis neither dried nor wiped off in any way between the test runs. Afterthree sequences of three test runs each the mean and standard deviationsof the measurements are calculated for each test run. In order to beclassified as a permanent hydrophilic surface/coating the thirdstrike-through time should be at the most 20 sec., preferably at themost 10 sec., and more preferably at most 5 sec. Alternatively, thepermanent character of a hydrophilic surface can also be determined byits re-wetting properties, e.g. measured by EDANA method ERT 151.0-93,i.e. the quantity of fluid (in grams) is measured which flows back intoa superposed dry filter paper when a thoroughly wetted fleece is loadedby a 4 kg weight. Also, absorbency and retaining characteristics can bedetermined by use of the EDANA 10.3-99 test. With the latter test theabsorbent products of the present invention, in particular in the formof pads or wipes, exhibit an absorbance and retaining power of up to1200 wt.-% and more with water, and up to 1500 wt.-% and more with, inparticular stable, oil/water lotions not showing a phase separation on amacroscopic scale at least upon application to the absorbent product.

Absorbent products according to the invention which exhibit a permanenthydrophilic surface are especially suited to retain a liquid or lotionwhich has been applied to these products at the desired area within thisabsorbent product. Even when for example treated with a skin carecomposition and being arranged in a stack of superimposed individualabsorbent products the skin care composition will be maintained withinits respective absorbent article and will not migrate downwards wherebyit can be prevented that those absorbent articles being at the top partof the stack will dry out and the absorbent articles at the bottom partof the stack will be drenched with skin care lotion after a while.

A permanent hydrophilic surface in the sense of the present inventioncan be defined in such a way that its hydrophilic character does notvanish after repeated exposures to moisture or water washes.

The absorbent product according to the invention can be mono ormulti-layered. For example, it can be composed of two, three or morenon-woven absorbent sheets as described herein. In addition oralternatively the non-woven absorbent sheet itself can be mono ormulti-layered, and can, for example, comprise two, three or moreindividual sheets.

Particularly preferred are non-woven materials that have a web structureof fibrous or filamentous nature in which fibers or filaments aredistributed randomly or with a certain degree of orientation. Non-wovenweb structures can for example be obtained by airlaying or certainwetlaying processes. At least partially oriented non-woven webstructures are accessible via other wetlaying techniques or cardingprocesses. In general, the absorbent sheet can be made by use of webforming techniques selected from the group consisting of carding,spunbonding, meltblowing, airlaying and wetlaying. It is particularlypreferred that the non-woven material from which the final absorbentsheet is prepared exhibits at least a certain degree of orientation.Preferably, such an oriented non-woven material is obtained via cardingprocesses.

Preferably, the fibers of the carded non-woven web material are orientedpredominantly in a machine direction, and not in cross direction.

Multi-layered sheet materials are herein defined as comprising two ormore layers of the same or different non-woven material and/or layersobtained by different techniques, as long as one absorbent sheetcomplies to the limits of present claim 1. Most preferably, thisnon-woven absorbent sheet represents the top and/or bottom layer of amulti-layered sheet material.

According to another aspect of the present invention multi-layered sheetmaterials can preferably be made by use of at least one web bondingtechniques selected from the group consisting of needlepunching, resinbonding, chemical bonding, thermal bonding, hydroentanglement or amixture thereof. Most preferred these multi-layered sheet materials areformed by use of hydroentanglement and/or needlepunching, that isadjacently aligned sheets/layers are joined by the aforementionedtechniques.

With the hydroentanglement process usually a multitude of very finewater jets are applied to a non-woven substrate carried on a support.Instead of these water jets or simultaneously pressurized air jets canbe used.

It is particularly preferred that the non-woven material is cross-lappedprior to the web forming process step. Cross-lapping is well known to aperson skilled in the art. For example, the carded web material is movedforward and backwards when laid on a belt or carrier while its lowerfront portion is pulled perpendicular to this forward and backwardmovement whereby the web material overlaps in a z-like fashion.

With the use of needlepunching, for example with the aid of one or moreneedle looms, a web of loose fibers, e.g. a web of carded fibers, isconverted into a coherent non-woven fabric. By needlepunching fibers aremechanically oriented through the web. The needles can be arranged on aneedle tool, e.g. a needle board or loom, in a non-lined arrangement. Inthe needle punching step preferably at least one needle tool is usedhaving in the range from about 50 to 300, preferably from about 70 to250 and more preferably from about 90 to 110 needles per dm². In apreferred embodiment the strokes per minute, the number of needles perloom, the advance rate of the pad and in particular the degree ofpenetration of the needles is adjusted in such a way that as little aspossible energy is imparted on the bed while still obtaining a bondedweb system which does not delaminate, preferably without the use of abinder material.

It is has been found that by use of needlepunching a web of highstrength can be obtained when using lyocell fibers which still issuperior in terms of softness and bulkiness.

The lyocell fibers used with the absorbent product according to thepresent invention preferably have a fiber titer in the range from 0.5 to3.4 dtex, preferably of below 2.5 dtex, more preferably below 2.0 dtex,even more preferably below 1.7 dtex and in particular below 1.4 dtex. Itis particularly preferred when not only the lyocell fiber but also thenatural, man-made natural and/or synthetic fibers used with thenon-woven absorbent sheet comply to the same general and preferred fibertiter ranges.

In particular, the absorbent sheet of the absorbent product according tothe invention has a basis weight in the range from 20 to 500 g/m², inparticular from 30 to 400 g/m², more preferably in the range from 50 to250 g/m², and in particular from 150 to 200 g/m².

Furthermore, the absorbent sheet exhibits a tensile strength in therange from 5 to 1000 N/5 cm in machine as well as in cross direction.Preferred values of tensile strength range from 20 to 800, preferablyfrom 80 to 400 and more preferably from 100 to 250 N/5 cm.

The absorbent sheet exhibits an excellent mechanical strength, inparticular the wet strength of this absorbent sheet is verysatisfactory. The absorbent product according to the invention istherefore resistant to wet collapse and can absorb sufficient amounts ofskin care compositions such as emulsions or lotions, or of removedmake-up and/or debris without reducing the bulkiness of the sheetmaterial.

It has been found that for a variety of applications a thickness of theabsorbent sheet in the range from 0.4 to 5 mm is generally sufficient.Even with a thickness in the range from 1.5 to 3, and more preferablyfrom 1.8 to 2.8 mm the sheet material creates a sensation of softnessand bulkiness on the skin. It is therefore possible to achieve suchsensations without the need of using excessive amounts of fibers,especially of lyocell.

The absorbent products of the present invention are superior in terms ofsoftness and strength. In particular, the soft sensation of theabsorbent material as such as well as the ease with which it can be bentcontribute to a favorable impression when used on the skin either in dryform or after having been impregnated with a lotion. Absorbent products,in particular absorbent sheets being used with absorbent products, aremost suited when having a bending torque of no more than 0.2 g×cm,preferably of no more than 0.17 g×cm, in particular of no more than 0.15g×cm. It has been found that those absorbent products are especiallysuperior in terms of softness which comply with the aforementionedbending torque ranges in the machine direction as well as in crossdirection.

The bending torque in the meaning of the present invention is measuredby use of a Kawabata KES-FB2 pure bending tester. The Kawabata bendingtest is part of the Kawabata system which is designed to measure basicmechanical properties of non-wovens and other web materials. With thistest the bending torque is established by gathering the results of atleast three samples and calculating the average from these test results.The sample's size is 8.9 cm×8.9 cm. Further, the calibration mass is 50g, and the instrument sensitivity is equal to 5×1. The front moving jawto rear moving jaw gap is set to 1 cm. There is no side orientation ofthe samples. There are four bending cycles per measurement. The cyclecurvature is equal to 0 cm⁻¹ to ^(+2,5) cm⁻¹ to −2,5 cm⁻¹ to 0 cm⁻¹. Thecycle rate is 0.5 cm⁻¹/sec, and the number of measurements is set to 8.The bending torque (g×cm) then represents the slope of the linearregression line between approximately 0.5 cm⁻¹ and 1.5 cm⁻¹ of theMoment (g×cm/cm) versus Curvature (1/cm curve).

In general, the absorbent personal care and/or cleansing product of thepresent invention can be used for a broad number of variousapplications, such a diapers, sanitary napkins, panty liners, babywipes, cleansing wipes, wet wipes, bandages, medicinal dressings and thelike.

As used herein with respect to non-woven webs the term “machinedirection” refers to the direction of web travel as the non-woven web isproduced, for example, on commercial non-woven manufacturing equipment.Likewise, the term “cross direction” refers to the direction of theplane of the web perpendicular to the machine direction.

As used herein, the term “basis weight” means the weight per unit areaof the absorbent product, or the non-woven absorbent sheet. The units ofbasis weight are typically expressed in grams per square meter.

It has been surprisingly found that with the presently claimed absorbentproducts a highly advantageous pad material for cosmetic ordermatological applications is available. This sheet material creates avery soft feeling on the skin irrespective of whether it is dry or hasbeen treated with a skin care composition, yet it is very tight andexhibits good mechanical strength allowing for a good grip. Also thebeneficial bending characteristics of the absorbent sheet of theabsorbent product contribute to its superior softness properties.Especially, even with rather thin sheet-like absorbent productsaccording to the invention the fingers to be used for holding and movingthe pad product are not felt on the skin. It is also highly beneficialthat different from, for example, cotton wool pads the absorbent productof the present invention does not create any fluffs at all even onintense rubbing. Moreover, the absorbent product keeps its form and doesnot split in two or more parts or layers during use. Due to its softnessand its mechanical strength make-up can be removed by use of theabsorbent products in one step without the need to rub the skin.Accordingly, with the absorbent products of to the invention it can beprevented to drag on or damage sensitive skin like the area around theeyes. Therefore, it is the general impression that make-up, evenwaterproof make-up such as waterproof mascara, can be removed in a verygentle and soft fashion when using the absorbent product of theinvention. Furthermore, no Tinting is observed with these products.

It has been also surprisingly found that with the absorbent products ofthe present invention any liquids or lotions applied thereto do notmigrate through these products driven by gravity but are retained withinthese products at those depths originally taken upon impregnation evenon storage for longer periods.

In the following, the preparation of an absorbent sheet of the absorbentproduct according to the invention is described in more detail.

60 wt.-% of a lyocell fiber of the company Lenzing and 40 wt.-% of apolyethylene terephthalate (PET) of the company Trevira have beenblended prior to a carding step by which the fiber batts have beenopened so that individual fibers are essentially free and also orientedin machine direction. Both the lyocell fiber and the PET fibers have afiber titer of 1.3 dtex. Dtex refers to the weight of a fiber filamenthaving the length of 10.000 m, i.e. 10.000 m of the above mentionedfibers weigh 1.3 g. The fibers were then carried over a roll to furnisha light non-woven layer having a depth of around 10 cm which has notbeen strengthened yet. This non-woven layer has been subjected tocross-lapping in a so called cross-lapper. Depending on the weight ofthe final product the non-woven layer is placed one, two or severaltimes on top of each other in the cross-lapper. Simultaneously thelayered non-woven material was pulled from its bottom end in aperpendicular direction resulting in a Z-like structure of the layerednon-woven material which is drawn away from the cross-lapper. Thecross-lapped non-woven material has been subjected to one or moreneedling units each having at least one needle board with around 100needles per cm². Barbed needles have punched fibers into the pad andleft the fibers entangled. At the end of the needlepunching process thestrengthened non-woven sheet material was cut into, for example, pads orwipes. Depending on the strokes per minute, the number of needles perneedle board and the degree of penetration of needles, to mention a fewparameters, the softness of the resulting non-woven absorbent sheet canbe adjusted.

In a similar manner as outlined above a non-woven absorbent sheet hasbeen prepared comprising 20 wt.-% cotton fibers, 20 wt.-% lyocell fibersand 60 wt.-% PET fibers.

Furthermore, for comparative reasons sheet materials have been preparedaccording to the above outlined procedure using a) 70 wt.-% viscosefiber and 30 wt.-% PET fibers (both having a fiber titer of 1.7 dtex),b) 60 wt.-% cotton fibers and 40 wt.-% PET fibers (US cotton fine; PET1.3 dtex) and c) 100 wt.-% cotton fibers (US cotton fine). The testresults can be derived from the following table. TABLE Basis Tensilestrength Tensile strength Weight machine direction cross directionThickness Absorption No. Composition (g/m²) N/5 cm % N/5 cm % (mm) % 1.60/40 Lyocell/PET 185 184.3 57.2 159.8 78 2.79 1583.0 (Extra soft) 2.60/40 Lyocell/PET 185 232.7 52.9 192.3 81.7 2.43 1238.4 3. 20/20/60 192109.7 45.9 74 78.6 2.46 1337.2 Cotton/Lyocell/PET 4. 70/30 viscose/PET¹⁾196 197.1 39.5 141.6 79.2 2.19 116.1 5. 60/40 Cotton/PET¹⁾ 192 109.745.9 74 78.6 2.46 1337.2 6. 100% Cotton¹⁾ 195 91.7 33.2 33.5 70.1 1.761096.0¹⁾not according to the invention

As can be derived from the above table although the absorbent productsaccording to the invention exhibit a lower basis weight than thecomparative sheet materials a higher tensile strength in machinedirection as well as in cross direction can be obtained. Furthermore,although less material is needed thicker pads can be obtained. Inaddition, even with very thin sheets which are according to theinvention a sensation of softness and bulkiness is achieved which cannotbe obtained with conventional pad materials of similar thickness. Also,the absorbent products according to the invention are superior withrespect to their absorption characteristics.

It is also a major benefit of the absorbent product of the presentinvention that it easily absorbs and retains high quantities of fluidsor lotions, but that it is also capable of releasing sufficient amountsof skin care and/or cleansing compositions which have been impregnatedinto these products, in particular when also fibers having, inparticular a permanent, hydrophilic surface are employed. Absorbency andretaining characteristics can for example be determined by use of theEDANA 10.3-99 test. With this test usually a 10 cm×10 cm fiber specimenis deposited in a liquid bath until saturated. Then, the specimen isheld in a vertical orientation to let the liquid drip off for 2 minutes,after which the weight of the soaked specimen as well as the amount ofabsorbed liquid is determined.

For example, when subjecting a 10 cm×10 cm fiber pad having a basisweight of 185 g/m² and a thickness of 2.43 mm according to Example no. 2of the aforementioned Table to an EDANA 10.3-99 test about 1200 wt.-% ofwater and about 1200 to 1300 wt.-% of a lotion are retained. The lotionwill be described hereinafter. Moreover, when subjecting a 10 cm×10 cmfiber pad according to the invention having a basis weight of about 185g/m² and a thickness of about 2.4 mm and comprising 50 wt.-% lyocellfibers (1.3 dtex), 30 wt.-% PET fibers (1.3 dtex), and 20 wt.-%polypropylene fibers having a permanent hydrophilic surface (HyEntangleWA; 1.7 dtex) and which has been prepared as described for the pads ofthe above Table to the aforementioned EDANA test about 700 to 800 wt.-%of water and about 1400 to 1500 wt.-% of a lotion as describedhereinafter are retained. And, when subjecting a 10 cm×10 cm fiber padaccording to the invention having a basis weight of about 185 g/m² and athickness of about 2.4 mm and comprising 50 wt.-% lyocell fibers (1.3dtex), 30 wt.-% PET fibers (1.3 dtex), and 20 wt.-% PET fibers having apermanent hydrophilic surface (Hydrofix PET; 1.7 dtex) and which hasbeen prepared as described for the pads of the above Table to theaforementioned EDANA test about 1000 to 1100 wt.-% of water and about1400 wt.-% of a lotion as described hereinafter are retained. Theaforementioned stable lotion used with the EDANA test has been obtainedby mixing (based on w/w) water (73.395%); tetrasodium EDTA (0.08%);coco-glucoside (0.275%); phenoxyethanol (0.9%); a preservative whichcomprises butyl paraben, ethyl paraben, isobutyl paraben, methyl parabenand propyl paraben (0.3%) (commercially available under the trade nameNipastat); a PIT emulsion (10%) which comprises water, ceteareth-12,ceteareth-20, cetearyl alcohol, cetearyl isononanoate, cetyl palmitate,glycerine and glycerol stearate (also commercially available under thetrade name Emulgade CM; Ceteareth-12 is ethoxylated cetostearyl (orcetearyl) alcohol having 12 ethoxy units. Ceteareth-20 is ethoxylatedcetostearyl alcohol having 20 ethoxy units); cyclopentasiloxane (10%);iso-hexadecane (3%); glycerine (2%) and citric acid (0.05%).

Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the presentinvention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is thereforeto be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, theinvention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically describedherein.

1. An absorbent personal care and/or cleansing product for cosmeticand/or dermatological applications comprising at least one non-wovenabsorbent sheet comprising 10 to 100 wt. % lyocell fibers and 0 to 90wt. % of at least one other natural, man-made natural and/or syntheticfiber, wherein the lyocell fiber has a fiber titer in the range from 0.5to 3.5 dtex, wherein the absorbent sheet has a basis weight in the rangefrom 20 to 500 g/m², and a tensile strength in the range from 5 to 1000N/5 cm in machine direction and in cross direction.
 2. The absorbentproduct according to claim 1 wherein the absorbent sheet comprises 30 to90 wt. %, lyocell fibers and 10 to 70 wt. % other natural, man-madenatural and/or synthetic fibers.
 3. The absorbent product according toclaim 1 wherein the absorbent sheet comprises 10 to 50 wt. % lyocellfibers, 10 to 40 wt. % natural fibers, and 10 to 80 wt. % man-madenatural and/or synthetic fibers.
 4. The absorbent product according toclaim 1 wherein at least one section of the natural, man-made naturaland/or synthetic fiber comprises at least one, in particular permanent,hydrophilic surface.
 5. The absorbent product according to claim 4wherein the absorbent sheet comprises 10 to 90 wt. % natural, 10 to 90wt. % man-made natural and/or synthetic fibers which comprise at least asection having at least one, in particular permanent, hydrophilicsurface, and 0 to 50 wt. % polyester fibers.
 6. The absorbent productaccording to claim 1 wherein the absorbent sheet has been made by use ofcarding being the web forming technique and needlepunching being the webbonding technique and wherein the carded fibers have been cross-lappedprior to needlepunching.
 7. The absorbent product according to claim 1wherein the synthetic fiber comprises a polyester fibers.
 8. Theabsorbent product according to claim 1 wherein the fibers of theabsorbent sheet exhibit a fiber titer of below 2.5 dtex.
 9. Theabsorbent product according to claim 1 wherein the absorbent sheetcomprises 50 to 65 wt. % lyocell fibers and 35 to 50 wt. % polyesterfibers, both having a fiber titer of 1.7 dtex.
 10. The absorbent productaccording to claim 1 wherein the absorbent sheet has a thickness in therange from 0.4 to 5 mm.
 11. The absorbent product according to claim 1wherein the basis weight of the absorbent sheet is in the range from 30to 400 g/m².
 12. The absorbent product according to claim 1 wherein thetensile strength of the absorbent sheet is in the range from 20 to 800N/5 cm.
 13. The absorbent product according to claim 1 wherein theelongation of the absorbent sheet is in the range from 20 to 160%. 14.The absorbent product according to claim 1 wherein the bending torque ofthe absorbent product, in particular of the absorbent sheet, is equal orbelow 0.20 according to the Kawabata test, in both machine direction andin cross direction.
 15. The absorbent product according to claim 1wherein at least one surface of at least one absorbent sheet comprisesat least one three-dimensional surface pattern embossment.
 16. Theabsorbent product according to claim 1 wherein the absorbent sheet has adensity of below 0.09 g/cm³.
 17. The absorbent product according toclaim 1 wherein said product is a cosmetic and/or dermatological pad,towel, towelette, tissue or wipe or a part thereof.
 18. The absorbentproduct according to claim 1 further comprising a cosmetic and/ordermatological cleansing and/or skin care composition.
 19. An absorbentproduct assembly comprising two, three or more absorbent productsaccording to claim 1 being at least partially directly or indirectlysuperimposed onto each other, in particular arranged in at least onestack or on a role.
 20. (canceled)
 21. A cosmetic or dermatologicalproduct comprising an absorbent product of claim 1 in the form of apuff, pad, wipe, tissue, towel, towelette, sponge, brush, cotton ball,glove, mitt, cotton tip swab or a part thereof, said absorbent producthaving a composition selected from the group consisting of cosmetic,dermatological, cleansing, skin care compositions, and combinations oftwo or more thereof, thereon or impregnated therein.